PARADOX - SEULRENE

invitation

"i can't believe she did that!"

byulyi's voice echoed in the locker room when you told her what happened between you and hyojung last week.

"do you think it's my fault?" you asked, sitting on the iron bench beside byulyi. "i always knew she likes me somehow, i just didn't think it was that serious."

"is that the reason you guys have been quite off these past few days?"

you nodded. "hyojung says she'd let me enjoy my time with irene for now while waiting for me to come back to her."

byulyi nodded too. "and are you even getting any progress with irene?"

you shook your head, pouting slightly. "we don't talk. we're kind of in 'secret friends' status right now."

byulyi chuckled. "secret friend your face. you guys already kissed and made out and you'll call each other friends?"

"she was high. she doesn't know what she's doing," you reasoned.

"i think she knows what she's doing. she just doesn't know how to stop herself from doing it," said byulyi. "remember, low inhibitions? i'm sure she was aware whom she's with that night."

you eyed the floor for some time, remembering how that night went and how you badly want it to happen again. it's like a dream coming true. irene was so vulnerable and she willingly submitted herself to you.

you're now wondering if things would have been the same had she been with simon.

before your thoughts could drift further, byulyi nudged you. "stop daydreaming, okay? you're still with me."

feeling hopeless, you brought your palms to my face and groaned. "ugh. why am i having a hard time getting close to her? we're already in the process, you know. it's just that things are going so slow right now."

"things are going slow because you're a slow bear." byulyi flicked your forehead. "say you get the chance to talk to her alone, would you confess?"

you shrugged. you don't know.

"psh. coward," said byulyi.

"hey. it's irene we're talking about here, okay? i'm not like her exes who think of her as a trophy."

"yeah. i know. that's why i suggest you come to my birthday party this weekend." she winks at you.

"i gotta pass that one, byul," you said, putting on your rubber shoes. "you have lots of friends. i don't want to walk into a room full of strangers. i won't last long in that."

"aish. you and hyojung are just the same, afraid of the crowd." byulyi rolled her eyes. "too bad, i just invited 'them' and 'they' said yes."

you looked at her. "them?"

"those two hot chicas, yongsun and irene." byulyi gestured her hands in a coca-cola bottle shape.

you abandoned your shoes, totally focusing on byulyi. "and how did you do that?"

"are you undermining my charming skills?"

"i'm not. but you guys don't even know each other. duh."

"don't know each other? meh! i know them, dude. i even have their phone numbers," she said, waving her phone at you.

"how did yo--"

"we're in the same english class. the professor combined our classes last week because theirs had been dissolved."

"and how did you get their numbers?"

"we're on a group project at the moment so we're kinda in contact with each other."